Apparatus for reproducing sound



Nov. 15, 193 8.- D f-r AL 2,137,157

APPARATUS FOR REPRODUCING SOUND Filed Aug. 30, 1935 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Gttomeg 9.

Juventors:

Nov. 15, 1938.

F. CRUDO ET AL APPARATUS FOR REPRODUCING SOUND aftorngy Nov. 15, 1938.

F. cRuDo ET AL 7 2,137,157 APPARATUS FdR REPRODUGING SOUND Fil ed Aug. 50, 1935 s Sheets-Sheet s Zmnentors:

1'? Crude Q Evan/201m (Ittornegs.

Patented Nov.'15,' 1938 PATENT OFFICE V e 2,137,157 APPARATUS FOR REPRODUCING SOUND Fernando Crudo and Kaj Andersen Svanholm,

Buenos Aires, Argentina, assignors 'to Compania Fundadora Fotoliptofono, Sociedad Anonima, Buenos Aires, Argentina s Application August 30, 1935, Serial No. 38,624 In Argentina March 23, 1935 6 Claims. (Cl. 179-1003) This invention relates to apparatus for the photoelectric reproduction of sound and hasfor its object to provide an arrangement which may be intermittently set in operation for successively reproducing selectedsignals or othersounds at desired intervals under manual or other control.

In the accompanying drawings wherein approved embodiments of the invention are illustrated:

I Figure '1 is a plan view of the improved apparatus, partly broken away, and shown in sec- Fig. 2'is a side and in section.

4 Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view of...the holding contacts and parts associated therewith.

. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the electric circuits in detail.

V Fig. 5v is a fragmentary detail of a modified elevation partly broken away form ofmeans for operating the holding con Referring to. the drawings in'detail, the numeral l indicates a cylindrical carrier for the phonogram which is supported by a drive shaft 2 driven byan electric motor 3 through a belt6 engaging pulleys 4 and 5 carried; respectively, j

by the shaft of the motor 3 and the supporting shaft 2; The motor 3 is supported on oneend member 1 of the frame of the apparatus and the adjacent end of the shaft 2 is mounted in a bearing 8 carried by the motor casing The opposite end of the shaft is journalled in the opposite end member 9 of the frame. V

-The phonogram is divided into sections indicated"at H which are separated by guides I9 provided on the carrier I.

'. The end member 'I s provided with a supporting arm I2 carrying 'electromagnets [3, the terminals of the coils of which are indicated at l3 and I3. A brake arm I4 is pivotally connected with the arm l2 and the shoe I6 thereof is normally'urged toward the cylinder l by a spring [5. The arm [4 extends below the-electromagnet "l3 andwhenthe latter is energized the arm 14 is moved against the-tension of the spring [5 and disengaged from'the carrier cylinder l2 whereby the latter may be freely rotated; v

Guides I] and I8 are arranged one above-the other in parallel relation to the shaft 2 and are fixed at their ends to the end members l and 9. ,Alca'rriage I9 is movable in both directions along the guides llv and I9 and the lower part thereof provided 'with'a'roller 29 adapted to roll over the lowerguide '19 to reduce frictional resistance to the movement of the carriage. V

A casing 23 is .fixed to the carriage I9 and en.- closes a lamp 24, the lightrays from which are focused on the sound track of the phonogram sections by a suitable optical system located in the tube 2!. The light reflected by the sound track influencesphotoelectric cells 22 in a man ner well known in the art of photoelectric reproduction of sound.

Feed and return screws 29 and 3, respectively, are journaled in the end members land 9 and the threads thereof are alternately'engaged by the teeth 26 and 21 located at the opposite ends of a pivoted lever 25. A spring 28 is connected with they carriage l9 and an extension offlthe lever 25 that voperates to maintain said lever in either of itstwo operative. positions. Rotary movement of the shaft 2 is imparted to the screws 29 by a, chain v33 engaging the several chain wheels 3|, 32, and 34. v

, According to the position of the lever .25, one or the other'of the teeth 26 or 21 thereof is'engaged with a related screwand the carriage is g thereby moved either in the direction of feeding thereof or in the opposite return direction. The right hand end of the feed screw 29 is provided with a cam 34 which, when the carriage reaches the end of its feed movement, strikes the teeth 26 thereby disengaging the latter from the feed screw 29, the spring 291 operating to swing the lever 25 to its other position in which the tooth 21 engages the return screw 30. The left hand end of the returnscrew 39 is also provided with a cam 35 which, at the completion of the return movement of the carriage, strikes the tooth 21' and' restores the 1ever'25 to the position in which tus. 'A conductor 24" isconnected with the other pole of the lamp 24.

As shown in Fig. 3, a circuit closing and holding, device B is provided which is constituted by flexible members 49 and M fixed to the base of the casing 23 by insulators 42 and provided with holding contacts 43 and 44 normally held in spaced relation by the lower flexible member 4|. The flexible members andM are connected,

respectively, with conductors 43 and 44'. The end of the flexible member 45 is provided with a tooth 45 slidable along the top edge of a rod 46 fixed between the end members i and 9 and provided at intervals with notches 47 into which the tooth is pressed by the tension of the lower flexible member 4|. As the tooth 45 is carried upwardly along the inclined surface of each notch 47 incident to the motion of the carriage I9, the holding contacts 43 and 44 are engaged. If it is desired to render one or more of the notches 41 ineffective, a screw 48 may be applied to the rod 46 the head thereof preventing the tooth 45 from entering the notch 41.. I

In order to bring the beam of light from'the lamp 24 into proper registration with the sound track of the phonogram sections I I the feed screw 29 may be adjustedaxially in its bearing by means of a screw 49 threaded in a bracket 55.

Fig. 4 represents diagrammatically the electrical connections to the various parts of the apparatus and the electrical conductors supplying the current for operation thereof are designated at H and 12. The operation of the apparatus is controlled by a manually operable circuit controlling device A interposed in a conductor I3 leading from the supplying conductor II to the motor 3. The other pole of the motor is connected directly with the supply conductor I2. An audio frequency amplifier 52 and the primary winding of a transformer 5| are also supplied with current from the conductors I2 and I3. The amplifier 52 is influenced in the usual manner by the photoelectric cells 22 and the audible reproduction of the recorded sound is emitted by a loud speaker 53. One pole of the secondary winding of the transformer 5i is connected with the conductor 24 leading to the lamp 24 and the other pole of the secondary winding is grounded as indicated at 39 and supplies current to the lamp 24 over the conductor 24 when the brush 3! is in engagement with the contact 38.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows:

Assuming the holding contacts 43 and 44 are open as shown in Fig. 3 and the tooth 26 of the lever 25 is engaged with the feed screw 25 so that the contact 38 is engaged with the brush 57, the supply circuit is closed by actuating the control device A. The conductor I3 of the electromagnet I3 is connected with the circuit controlling device A while the conductor I3" is connected directly with the supply conductor 12 and thus, upon actuation of the controlling device A, the electromagnet I3 is energized and the brake shoe I5 is withdrawn from the cylinder I thereby releasing the latter. The motor 3 is also set in operation and rotates the cylinder I together with the phonograms secured thereon through the driving connection 6. The motion of the shaft 2 is transmitted to the feed screw 29 by the drive chain 33 and owing to the engagement of the tooth 26 with the thread of the feed screw,

the carriage I9 is advanced in the direction of its feed movement. The circuit of the lamp 24 is closed over the brush 3? engaging the contact 38 and being energized by the current of the secondary winding of the transformer 5|, the light from said lamp is focused by the focussing device 2| on the sound track of the phonogram. During the initial movement of the carriage, the tooth 45 is moved upwardly along the inclined face of the notch 47 until the contact 44 is brought into engagement with the contact 43 and thus a holding circuit for the motor 3, the electromagnet I3 and amplifier 52 is closed over the spring I5.

the conductors 43 and 44'. The holding device B remains operative throughout the reproduction of a sound track on one of the phonogram sections II and at the completion of such reproduction the tooth 45 enters the next succeeding notch 4i in the rod 45 whereupon the contact 44 is disengaged from the contact 43 and the circuit is broken. Consequently, the operation of the motor 3, amplifier 52 and transformer 5| is interrupted and the electromagnet I3 being deenergized, permits the application of the brake shoe It to the cylinder I under the influence of At each actuation of the circuit controlling device A the carriage I9 moves to an extent corresponding to the length of one of the phonogram sections II and when the carriage approaches the end of its feed movement to the right in Fig. l, the cam 34 strikes the upper tooth 25 turning the lever 25 about its pivotal axis and the tension of the spring 28 engages the lower tooth 27 with the return screw 30. The tilting of the lever 25 to cause engagement of the tooth 21 with the return screw disengages the contact 38 from the brush 31 and thus, during the return of the carriage under the influence of the return screw the circuit of the lamp 24 is interrupted. When the carriage I9 reaches the end of its return movement, the cam 35 of the return screw 35 strikes the lower tooth 21 thereby restoring the lever 25 to the position shown in Fig. 2 and reestablishing engagement between the contact 24 and the brush 3?. Thus the circuit of the lamp is again closed and upon subsequent operation of the controlling device A, the screw 29 which is now engaged by the tooth 21 causes the carriage to resume its feed movement.

Fig. 5 shows a modification of the arrangement for operating the holding contacts 43 and 44 which, in this case, are mounted on a stationary support and actuated by a disk 54 rotatable with a shaft 55 and provided with circumferential notches 41 cooperating with a tooth 45 of the flexible member 4|. The disk 54 is secured to a sprocket wheel 56 engaged by a chain 51 which 7 is movably supported at its opposite end on a sprocket wheel 58.- The two wheels 56 and 68 are spaced apart a distance approximately corresponding to the range of movement of the carriage I9 and the latter is connected with the chain 51 at 59. Thus during the feed and return movements .of the carriage, motion is imparted to the chain 51 and the disk 54, the tooth 45 periodically entering a notch 41 and interrupting the holding circuit of the motor 3, elecrier, an electrical pick-up movable with said carriage, a source of light on said carriage, focussing means for said light source, a supply circuit for said light source, circuit controlling means in said circuit, and means coacting with said controlling means at predetermined points in the travel of said carriage to open said circuit.

' 2. Apparatus for the photoelectric reproduc-= tion of sound including a rotary phonogram carrier, with sound track arranged in helicoidal form, an electric motor for driving said carrier, a carriage movable longitudinally of said carrier,

an electrical pick-up movable with said carriage,

a source of light on said carriage, focussing means for said light source, a supply circuit for said light source, circuit controlling means in said circuit, means coacting with said controlling means at predetermined'points in the travel of said carriage to open said circuit, said motor being connected with said circuit, and means for simultaneously closing the circuit of said motor and said source of light.

' 3. An apparatus for the photoelectric reproduction of sound including a rotary phonogram carrier, with sound track arranged in helicoidal form, an electric motor for driving said carrier, a carriage movable longitudinally of said carrier, an electrical pick-up movable with said carriage, a source of light on said carriage, focussing means for said light source, a supply circuit for said light source, circuit controlling means in said circuit, means coacting with said controlling means at predetermined points in the travel of said carriage to open said circuit, and an interrupter fixed to said carriage and interposed in the supply circuit of saidsource of light.

4. Apparatus for the photoelectric reproduction of sound including a rotary phonogram carrier, with sound track arranged in helicoidal form, an electric motor for driving said carrier, a carriage movable longitudinally of said carrier, an electrical pick-up movable with said carriage, a source of light on said carriage, focussing means for saidlight source, a supply circuit for said light source, circuit controlling means in said circuit, means coacting with said controlling means at predetermined points in the travel of said carriage to open said circuit, and an interrupter for starting the motor driving the cylindrical phonogram carrier.

5. Apparatus for the photoelectric reproduction of sound including a rotary phonogram carrier, with sound track arranged in helicoidal form, an electric motor for driving said carrier, a carriage movable longitudinally of said carrier, an electrical pick-up movable with said carriage, a source of light on said carriage, focussing means for said light source, a supply circuit for said light source, circuit controlling means in said circuit, means coacting with said controlling means at predetermined points in the travel of said carriage to openv said circuit, said phonogram carrier being provided with guides separating sections of the phonogram. Y

6. Apparatus for the photoelectric reproduction of sound including a rotary phonogram car- FERNANDO CRUDO. KAJ ANDERSEN SVANHOLM.

electro-mechanical, 

